Prince Albert II, the ruler of Monaco, recently christened a new cruise ship named after himself, which will be the newest addition to the Silversea line and said to be the most luxurious expedition ship ever to sail.

A gutted expedition ship now completely redecorated and outfitted to suit the most wealthy of customers it is ready for the most rugged of adventures with the most luxurious of accommodations.

The 132-passenger Prince Albert II, which formerly sailed as the World Discoverer before Silversea bought it in September, sets sail on June 12 from London on an inaugural season of 10- to 22-day adventure cruises focusing on the polar regions.

These $2 Million dollar Shoes from Stuart Weitzman were unveiled at Le Vian party in Las Vegas last week. The silver leather heels feature over 185 carats of tanzanite and 28 carats of diamonds.

The front strap features a slim strap of diamonds but the heavy gemstones are designed to curve around the ankle with a 16 carat pear-shaped tanzanite drop surrounded by diamonds that dangles down over the top of the foot.

The shoes are balanced with a delicate diamond front strap that perfectly complements Stuart Weitzman’s timeless, elegant shoe design.

Ferretti Group company Pershing recently launched the new Pershing 80 motoryacht in Italy.

Designed by Italian naval architect Fulvio De Simoni, the 24.4m (80ft) yacht is said to offer exceptional performance. The standard version is powered by two 2030hp MTU engines combined with ASD 15L surface propellers for speeds of up to 44kt, while a faster version equipped with two 2435mhp MTU engines allows for speeds of 50kt at 1/3 loaded displacement.

The yacht’s construction process uses the “Scrimp System”, a fiberglass vacuum molding process that significantly reduces voids in the laminate and increases strength.

Pershing says that several elements give the new yacht an edge over its competitors, including an elegant slide-away glass partition, designed in collaboration with Besenzoni, that allows the cockpit to be closed off from the upper saloon. Alternatively, the owner can choose to join the two areas together to create a large open space, all on the same level. Another exceptional Pershing 80’ feature is the extendable-retractable hard top over the upper saloon.

A black jumbo watermelon auctioned in northern Japan fetched a record $6,100 Friday, making it the most expensive watermelon ever sold in the country — and possibly the world.

The 17-pound premium “Densuke” watermelon, grown only on the northern island of Hokkaido, was purchased by a marine products dealer who said he wanted to support local agriculture.

In a country where melons are a luxury item commonly given as gifts, the watermelon’s hefty price tag follows another jaw-dropping auction last month, where a pair of “Yubari” cantaloupe melons sold for a record $23,500.

And what makes a watermelon worth $200, much less $6,000?
Its unusual black skin, said Kazuyoshi Ohira, a spokesman for the Tohma Agricultural Cooperative in Hokkaido. Inside, the watermelon is crisp and hard. And, he says, it has unparalleled taste.
“It’s a watermelon, but it’s not the same,” he said. “It has a different level of sweetness.”

Other Densuke watermelons won’t cost quite as much. Most will retail at department stores and supermarkets for a more modest 20,000 yen to 30,000 yen (U.S. $188 to U.S. $283), Ohira said.

Zaha Hadid Architects have developed designs for a new opera house and cultural centre for Dubai.

The fluid, dune-shaped will accommodate an opera house, playhouse, arts gallery, performing arts school and themed hotel on an island in Dubai Creek, just off the mainland part of the district.
All of these facilities will be state of the art to host world class performances and exhibitions. The opera house will have a seating capacity of 2,500 while the playhouse will have a seating capacity of 800.
The arts gallery with 5000m2 of exhibition space is indeed a full size exhibition facility comparable to the Guggenheim Museum in New York. The hotel will accommodate guests in a 6 star setting.

Sited on an island in Dubai Creek, the development will be connected to Greater Dubai by a road connection to the mainland.

The proposal houses all of the facilities within a single striking structure,” Zaha Hadid Architects describe the project. “The gentle winding form evokes images of mountains or sand dunes. Rising out of the ground, this form is both a part of the landscape yet very much a distinct element in the skyline. The surrounding landscape forms build up to the main building. These constitute open park spaces as well as ancillary functions such as the parking facilities and the monorail station, which are either tucked under or integrated into the landscape forms.

Source : Dezeen

Imagine how wonderful life would be, if every morning you could simply press a button and a warm and inviting shower would be waiting for you when you reached your bathroom. Few of us can deny that at some point we’ve dreamt of such a luxury !

This Grohtherm wireless shower can be switched on and off from any room in the house, allowing you to step out of bed and straight into a shower already running at the exact temperature you require.

The remote system can be programmed for each member of the family or for different times of the day (if you want a cold shower to wake you in the morning and a warm one to relax at night).

The remote wirelessly connects to a concealed base unit, which uses your settings to adjust and mix the water to your setting. When the ideal setting is found, a visible or audible signal will highlight this. There’s also a split-second response if the water flow changes, adjusting the flow to the right temperature accordingly.

The wireless shower system costs around – £720 ($1,450) and is available on bargainplumbingshop